Pip Street is a brilliant little book; full of funny bits, slightly creepy bits and great illustrations. We follow the story of Bobby Cobbler, a little boy who, thanks to the work of his father (a travelling confectionary salesman), moves around a lot. We begin the book as his family moves into Pip Street. Things seem normal enough until his beloved cat Conkers goes missing, and so teaming up with his neighbour Imelda – a small girl with a penchant for dressing up – he sets about solving the mystery of the missing moggy.

Simmons keeps us interested with a fast-moving tale and a fantastic set of characters: Richards Keith, whose fast-living is no doubt inspired by his name reversed; a septuagenarian who rides a souped-up mobility scooter complete with go-faster flames. There's also Jeff the Chalk who communicates silently via chalk messages on the pavement, mainly about the scourge of dog poo on Pip Street. Finally there is the deeply sinister Mother Pie; on the face of it "a blue-haired old lady with all the usual old lady trimmings: sensible flat shoes, sensible beige coat, sensible tartan shopping trolley…" but does her maniacal blinking point to a different side?

The language used in Pip Street is what really kept Maisy and I interested though; Simmons peppers her story with some fantastic phrases: 'Conkers was as black as the devil's armpit…" Imelda is described as "smart and tough and full of energy, with a look in her eyes as fierce as lemons". Steve Wells' illustrations and the variation in typography bring the book to life visually and act as a superb partner to this top tale. Looking forward to the next one!

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